09/09/2011

Mt.Tamalpais to Muir Woods to Stinson Beach

Saturday night Labor Day weekend Camping Girl and I decided to go to the Marin Headlands for the day on Sunday since we were dog sitting on Saturday and Camping Girl had to work on Monday. The Marin Headlands has been one of my favorite stomping grounds for years. What draws me to this part of California is its deep military history with all the bunkers and military installations , the thoughtful conservation by others as well as it's rich history in early development of California as we know it today. We packed enough grub for lunch and dinner since we felt getting back before dark was not an option. We wanted to see as much as possible on this reconnaissance mission.

Getting here is easy. From Sacramento take Hwy 80 West to Vallejo then take Hwy 37 West to Hwy 101 South and exit on Hwy 1 West and follow the signs. From Sacramento to Mt Tamalpais it's approximately 100 miles and takes a little over two hours to get there. From Mt Tam to either Muir Woods or Stinson Beach is about a 30 minute drive.

Mt Tamalpais is steeped in history. The Coast Miwok indians were the first people here and are credited for giving the area it's name which came from their words for "coast mountain" (tamal pais). Tamalpais was home to the Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railway from 1896-1929 and was known as "The Crookedest Railroad in the World". Along it's 8.19 miles it had over 266 curves and a round trip from Mill Valley would have set you back a dollar. Due to a growing number of visitors the rail line added "Gravity Cars" to the rail line, these gravity cars were open cars that travelled down the line at 12 miles an hour powered only by gravity. At the summit there is a train museum that opens up at noon where you can see a replica of one of these cars. The Gardener Lookout Tower was built between 1935-36 and was utilized by the military as a lookout for many years and still to this day is used and maintained by the Marin County Fire Department.

On our drive up we stopped by Mt Tamalpais Ranger Station where the Toll Pan Camp is located. This campground is a first come-first serve walk-in only campground with 16 sites. There are flush toilet here but no showers and there is water at every site. From the parking lot you can take the Dipsea Trail down to Stinson Beach which is about 3.3 miles one way. As we continued up the mountain it was super foggy but a little ways past the Mountain Theater we cleared the fog and the sun was shinning brightly. Once we got out of the car we had to shed some clothes due to the drastic change in temperature. The walk up to the fire tower has breath taking views of the surrounding area and it's said on a clear day you can see almost 150 miles, this is due to it's 2,571' elevation. On a clear day you can see the Farallon Islands 25 miles out to sea as well as Mt Diablo and if it's super clear the snow capped peaks of the Sierra's. There is a 1.2 mile loop trail that goes around the East Summit (this is the one with the fire tower on it). The Western Summit has all of the radar towers on it and now tops out at 2,572'; I say now because when they leveled the top to put the radar station in they took 25' off the peak. After hiking up to the tower and enjoying the views we came down just as they were opening the Railcar Museum which is a must see if you've come all the way up here.

For you cycling enthusiasts here's a little current history. Have you ever heard of Gary Fisher Bikes? Well, where do you think he found his passion? Here at Mt Tam with it's steep windy roads and mountian trails! As you will notice the roads are shared with many cyclists, from mountian to road bikes.

Here's something I noticed on my way up to the Tower, after your last switchback but before the tower you will see a rock outcropping on your right. Look closely and you will see a USGS marker in the center and near the edges you can see the remnants of the old viewing platform that used to be here as seen in the picture below.

After cruising around Mt Tam we hopped in the "Subie" and headed down to Muir Woods. Hmm... maybe Muir Woods on Labor Day was not such a good idea. When we reached the entrance to the park there were people everywhere with no place to park and I mean no where. The main lot was full, the secondary lot was full AND there were cars parked for over a mile on both sides of the road on the way towards Stinson Beach. Needless to say we didn't stop and spend any time here, we just kept driving. When we go back with the kids we will definitely stop here and at the same time we will avoid holiday weekends. Muir Woods like so many other places around here has a real neat history as well, I'll be brief and give you a few pieces of history. First of all Muir Woods was created in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt using the Antiquities Act to create the Muir Woods National Monument. William and Elizabeth Kent, this thoughtful couple, gifted 298 of their 612 acres of the Redwood Canyon tract to the federal government for the monument; they did so to avoid the land from being subjected to San Francisco's need for water and lumber after the 1906 earthquake. When gifted the Kent's requested that the park be named for noted conservationist John Muir even though at this point in time they had never met him. The Kent's did finally meet John Muir a year later at the parks dedication when it was made a national monument. In 1921 William Kent donated an additional 150 acres of land for the expansion of the park. Did you know that delegates from around the world came here in May of 1945 to sign the charter of the United Nations? When we go back I will share more with you, until then here is a link to the Nation Park Service website where you'll find more stories and plenty of tidbits to read about. http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm

Going coastal, now that we had dodged the madness of Muir Woods, we thought we would see what Stinson Beach had in store for us. Now mind you we have been to both Muir Woods and Stinson Beach before, we just have never really explored them in depth to see what's around. Ha! The traffic at Stinson was just a little more congested than normal. The key to any place is parking and we found a spot near town at the Matt Davis trailhead which takes you back up to Toll Pan Camp. As you come down Hwy 1 into town you will pass the fire station on your right, this is the street you want. This street is tricky because it's only a 2-way street half of the way up, to get there you need to stay on Hwy 1 and make a right onto Calle De Mar Street. Here you will see the only grocery store in the area, go up the hill and at the top make a right onto Buena Vista Ave. Follow this and you will see the trailhead sign on your left, at this point look for any available spot. If this is a no go you can always go back down to Hwy 1 and go north about a block to the public parking for Stinson Beach.

Once parked there are little stores to meander through as well a couple of eateries that had seafood and other tasty treats on the menu. We always go to the Parkside Snack Bar which is located at the cross streets of Calle De Mar and Arenal Ave. near the town park, hence the name Parkside. Hear you will find super delish hotdogs on burger buns, chicken burgers as well as beef burgers that are from local ranches. They also have soft serve cones! We ordered a "Mame's Way" hotdog with an order of fries and a orange shake (orange juice and vanilla ice cream). The ownership had changed since the last time we were here but the food was still quality and the people watching was as good as ever. We took our bag of food across the street and sat down by the park arch and enjoyed our food and the sights.

After our snack we headed through the little gateway that is to the right of the phone booth at Parkside. This takes you across a little stream over to Stinson Beach. The beach was full of people and we noticed as we strolled down along the water that this beach is very dog friendly! So if Fido is along he will surely love this place as well. It was a little breezy and overcast but it didn't seem to bother anyone. There were kids playing in the water, kites flying, volleyball games going on and I swear about every 15 yards or so there were kids (or adults) digging in the sand. We walked just a little ways north and decided to head back so that we could go a little further south down Hwy 1 before it got dark. We walked a little further south to the Lifeguard Station and decided to see what the menu looked like at the Surfers Grill. Camping Girl liked what was on the menu but for me, ehh it looked ok. As we walked around to the other side of the building we came across some blackberry bushes and Camping Girl was happy to see some perfect ones ready for the picking. After her snack we headed towards town. On the way back to the car we stopped in at the grocery store and picked up a couple of beverages to enjoy at our next stop. Well... curiosity got the best of us so we decide to go up the trailhead by the car to see what the hike was like. We were curious to see if it was an option to hike with the kids from the Toll Pan Campground to the beach and head back up in an afternoon. Umm...I don't think so. Hiking uphill at the end of a day at the beach in the sun with tired kids isn't an ideal situation. We'll cross that off the list for now.

After Stinson we drove south on Hwy 1 towards San Francisco. Along the way we passed the Steep Ravine Environmental Campground, this campground has cabins w/o electricity as well as tent sites. Looking down from the road you can see why you have to reserve anything here 6 months in advance. There are many reviews on-line and they all seem to say nothing but great things, the only thing negative that is said is trying to get a spot here.

As we kept going south we came to the Muir Beach Overlook. This is where we ended up having dinner. This stop brings me back to my early 20's when my oldest sister and our friends used to frequent Fort Cronkhite and all of the bunkers before they were closed off to the public. You can still walk around them but 20 yrs ago you could go in some and there were tunnels that connected the gun batteries. Anyhow... Muir Beach Overlook consists of observation posts where back in the 40's soldiers would keep an eye out for enemy submarines and ships. They would use these observation posts along with other posts along the coast to triangulate the position of enemy ships for the gun batteries protecting San Francisco. It was pretty windy up here and having a stove going and keeping food warm was an issue so we improvised. We climbed into one of the observation posts and set up kitchen. The kids would have loved this and for that reason we WILL be coming back. It was nice hearing the ocean and feeling as if we were all alone in our concrete kitchen. We had a loaf of French bread and our special Top Ramen soup that is a camping staple for us, perfect for an overcast day at the coast. It was very romantic! That's me, not Camping Girl making this statement, just so you know. : ) If it was permissible we would camp overnight in one of these bad boys.

After our dinner we packed up and headed towards Mill Valley. Once we arrived to Hwy 101 we decided to go to the Marin side of the Golden Gate Bridge to the bunkers that overlook the bridge. Just before the bridge, right after the tunnel you will need to exit to Alexander Avenue. Go up just a bit and you will see parking on the left. The views are amazing at night with all the lights of the bridge and San Francisco with the occasional cargo ships passing underneath the Golden Gate. Dress warmly, it gets windy and cold! When you leave you can either go back the way you came or you can go a different way where you drive through a one-way tunnel that has a stoplight to allow traffic from both sides. To get to the tunnel you will want to head west when you leave the parking area. As you continue up the road towards the coast you will make your first right. It is now a round-about (new to me), take McCullough Road to your right and go down the hill. You will pass some military housing on your right and you will make a right on Bunker Road. You will go over speed bumps until you reach the tunnel and the stoplight. This tunnel is a good place to take a picture while driving through. The picture below of the tunnel was taken by no one other than Camping Girl. Nice pic baby!!! On the other side of the tunnel you will take your first left which will take you through Sausalito and dump you out onto Hwy 101. From here we unfortunately had to head home.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day,

Uncle Leo & Camping Girl

We would like to thank the men and women who keep our country safe and the families at home waiting for their return, bless you all!

Comments

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Wow, ol' Fort Kronkhite! Those were some good times back in the day, Uncle Leo! This post has inspired me to return there and show my own little lady, and also check out some of the other places you visited on this trip. Well done!

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